India ranks in top 50 countries for 1st time in Global Innovation Index

NATIONAL NEWS

Indian power market goes green with launch of pan-India GTAM in electricity

• Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh has launched pan-India Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) in electricity, an attempt of making a greener power market in India.
• GTAM is the World’s first Exclusive Product Market for the renewable energy sector.
• This GTAM programme will reduce the burden on Renewable Energy-rich States.
• It will benefit both buyers and sellers of renewable energy sectors with a transparent and flexible procurement and by providing access to the pan-India market respectively.
• Government’s target of 175 Gigawatt renewable energy capacity by 2022 is driving accelerated renewable penetration pan-India.

Government approves Mission Karmayogi - National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building

• The National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building, “Mission Karmayogi” has been approved by the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Mission Karmayogi aims to prepare the Indian Civil Servants for future by making them more creative, innovative, professional, progressive, transparent and technology-based.
• The scheme will lay the foundation for capacity building for Civil Servants so that they remain entrenched in Indian culture while they learn from best practices across the world.
• The Public Human Resources Council comprising select Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, eminent public HR practitioners, thinkers, global thought leaders and Public Service functionaries will serve as the apex body for providing strategic direction to the task of Civil Services Reform and capacity building.

CFI is set to Host the First Ever Cycling Summit in 2021

• Cycling Federation of India (CFI) is set to host the first ever Cycling one-day Summit in 2021 in three places Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
• The programme started with an aim to promote the culture of cycling and sharing of knowledge between beginner and professional cyclists.
• CFI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the 2021 summit with Contarctica, a marketing exploration firm.
• The 2021 Cycling Summit will consist of cyclists, athletes, fitness and sports enthusiasts, cycling coaches, health and nutrition experts and influencers.

Fact: President of CFI – Parminder Singh Dhindsa

Cabinet approves signing of MoU between India and Japan for improving quality of Indian textiles for Japanese market

• Cabinet has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between India and Japan for improving quality and testing of Indian textiles and clothing for the Japanese market.
• The MoU would enable M/s Nissenken Quality Evaluation Centre, Japan in assigning Textile Committee as their cooperative Testing and Inspection service providers in India for Textiles and Apparel products.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, has approved MoU for cooperation in the field of geology and mineral resources between Geological Survey of India, Ministry of Mines, the Government of the Republic of India and Geological Survey of Finland (Geologiantutkimuskeskus), Ministry of Employment and the Economy, Government of Finland.

REPORTS & RANKING

India ranks in top 50 countries for 1st time in Global Innovation Index

• India ranked in the top 50 countries for the first time in the Global Innovation Index compiled by World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
• In which India jumped four positions to rank at 48th since 2019. By which India became the third most innovative lower middle economy in the world.
• The Global Innovation Index (GII) is an annual ranking of countries by their capacity for, and success in, innovation published by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization.
• WIPO was created to promote and protect intellectual property (IP) across the world by cooperating with countries as well as international organizations.
• The report added that due to universities like IIT Delhi and Bombay, IIS Bengaluru and other top scientific publications, India has become the lower middle-income economy with the highest innovation.

Fact: WIPO headquarters - Geneva, Switzerland.

NCRD Released Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India 2019 Report

• The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Ministry of Home Affairs released its 53rd edition of an annual report titled “Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) 2019”.
• The report is prepared with the data and information on deaths due to accidents and suicides, which were collected by the State Crime Records Bureaux (SCRBx) from the District Crime Records Bureaux (DCRBx).
• According to the report the variation percentage of accidental deaths and suicide during 2019 over 2018 are around 2.3% and 3.4% respectively.
• According to the report, road crash deaths in the country have increased by 1.3 per cent to 1,54,732 from 1,52,780. Delhi recorded the highest number of deaths due to dangerous driving and overall road accidents in 2019.
• Around 85% of the deaths due to traffic accidents were in the road accidents and the remaining 15% was caused due to railway accidents and accidents at the railway crossing.
• The report states that around 139,123 people died by suicide in India during 2019.

Fact: Director of NCRB – Ramphal Pawar, IPS

Amul enters the Rabobank’s Global Top 20, 2020 List

• Amul, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) based out of Anand, Gujarat, became the first Indian Dairy Company to enter Rabobank’s Annual listing of Global Dairy Top 20, 2020 Companies.
• Amul was ranked 16th with an annual turnover of USD 5.5 billion (approximately Rs 40,240 Crores).
• Rabobank is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands.
• Switzerland’s Nestle topped the list with a turnover of USD 22.1 Billion, followed by France’s Lactalis with USD 21 Billion turnovers.

Fact: Managing Director of Amul - RS Sodhi.

          Tagline - “The Taste of India”

ECONOMICS NEWS

IRDAI Set Up 6 Member Working Group Headed by Dinesh Pant to Study Index Linked Products for Life Insurance Companies

• Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) formed a 6-member working group headed by Dinesh Pant, appointed actuary of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).
• The group is formed to scrutinize various aspects for allowing the life insurance companies to offer index-linked products.
• They will examine the index-linked products that are available for sale in Indian market in terms of product structure, ease of customer understanding and administrative processes and sales volumes.

Fact: Chairman of IRDAI – Dr. Subhash C. Khuntia

          Headquarters– Hyderabad, Telangana

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Coconut Day 2020 observed on September 2

• World Coconut Day is observed on September 2 every year to create awareness about the importance, usage of coconut and its benefits across the world.
• The day is celebrated in Asian and Pacific regions largely as they contain the world’s most coconut growing production centres.
• Theme of World Coconut Day 2020 – “Invest in Coconut to save the world”.
• The main aim of the day to be observed is to boost investments and promote the development of the coconut industry worldwide.
• Every year the theme is decided by the International Coconut Community (ICC), an intergovernmental organization of coconut producing countries organized under the control of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP).

Fact: Headquarters of ICC – Jakarta, Indonesia